CLEO Show Highlights

True to its name, the 2001 Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics in Baltimore showcased the latest in laser technology. Most of the new technology on the conference's exhibit floor emphasized diode-pumped, solid-state sources, several operating in the ultraviolet range. Some highlights:

Coherent Photonics Group's Laser Div. introduced a semiconductor source emitting 20 mW of 488-nm light, similar in performance to argon-ion lasers, but occupying a tenth of the gas laser's footprint, consuming 98 percent less power and dissipating 98 percent less heat. Also announced was an addition to its Avia line that expands Q-switched power options to 7 W at 40 kHz…